Heretofore, it has been well known to subject food products such as meat to heat transfer operations by blast air systems. Particularly, cooked meat has been cooled by such systems so that they thereafter may be further processed and packaged. However, such blast air systems, when used to chill cooked meat, result in product dehydration that is undesirable. Further, such systems require extended periods of time to accomplish the desired heat transfer results.
Accordingly, liquid heat transfer systems have been more recently developed which rely on the substantial uniform application of temperature conditioning liquid to the meat product. This results in eliminating the dehydration problem and also substantially reducing the time period necessary for the same heat transfer operation. More particularly, these systems have been used to decrease the temperature of meat products that have been cooked and are referred to as brine-chilling systems where the liquid cooling medium is a brine solution applied at a controlled temperature. The brine solution is sprayed evenly over the product surface effecting an intensive heat exchange between the product and the liquid cooling solution where the heat is removed from the product by the brine solution. Thereafter, the brine solution is reconditioned and recirculated for further application of the product. Such systems have been marketed by the Alkar Division of DEC International, Inc. in Lodi, Wis.
The advent of the brine chilling systems has led to further developments with respect to the handling of the meat-supporting devices, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,205, assigned to the assignee of this application, where an enclosed floor track system for a liquid processing cabinet allows the use of wheeled meat-supporting devices. That part of the disclosure in said patent relating to the brine chilling system is hereby incorporated by reference. The enclosed track systems prevent the contamination of the liquid cooling medium and are U.S.D.A. approved. The disadvantage of this system is in the requirement that an expensive conveying system be provided for loading and unloading the liquid processing cabinet with the meat-supporting racks or devices.